Seashell
by estelio veleth
Summary: Eriol is having trouble sleeping and it appears that he's not the only one.


Seashell

by estelio veleth

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><p><em>You can hear the waves in underwater caves<em>  
><em> As if you actually were inside a saltwater room <em>

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><p>Eriol couldn't remember what he'd been dreaming about. Nevertheless, the dream had sufficiently woken him up and he was having trouble falling back asleep.<p>

He had lain in bed for the past three hours, staring into space. Giving up on any thoughts of falling back asleep tonight, he rolled out of his bed and pulled on his housecoat. His bare feet padded quietly on the floor as he moved through his large house.

Quietly, he moved through the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the many cupboards and filling it with water. He stood by the sink and glanced out the window while sipping from his water.

Tomoeda was quiet. The night was old and it lay tiredly over the town like a heavy blanket. Clouds covered the sky like a curtain and the light of the single lamp on the street flickered tiredly.

Eriol moved closer to the window when he saw a lone figure walking down the street, wearing a ghostly white dress.

He immediately recognized those raven tresses gently blowing behind her head.

Tomoyo Daidouji.

Her pale skin reflected the glow of the moon. Eriol shivered and pulled his housecoat tighter around his body. She had no jacket. Who knew how cold it might be out there? She must be freezing.

Before he could convince himself otherwise, Eriol slipped into his shoes and ran out to follow the ethereal creature he had just seen.

He ran out just in time to catch her slip around a corner. She darted down the road and past the train station. The great rattling sound of the late night train echoed throughout the empty street, disappearing away into a tunnel in the distance. Tomoyo didn't spare the thundering sound a single glance as she continued towards some unknown goal.

It wasn't until a while later that Eriol realized where she was heading. Her pace slowed as she reached Tomoeda's beach and he moved to catch up to her.

She paused at the water's edge and looking up at the starless sky.

The blustery weather chased her hair around her head and whipped a light pink blush into her pale cheeks.

"Daidouji-san," he called out to her, causing her to turn around in surprise, "It's a little chilly to be out here without a jacket, don't you think?" He gave her a small smile as he slipped his house coat around her shoulders.

"Hiiragizawa-kun," she exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

Eriol blushed, "I followed you." He paused before continuing. "And I was worried."

She gave him a gentle smile, "Thank you Hiiragizawa-kun," she said before letting out a small tinkling laugh. "I'm lucky that it was you and not a person with bad intentions."

"How do you know that I don't have bad intentions?" he teased, ignoring the thrill that passed through his body when he heard her laugh.

"You're a self proclaimed gentleman," she teased back.

He chuckled quietly before turning serious. "Are you really okay Daidouji-san?"

"How many times have I told you to call me Tomoyo, Hiiragizawa-kun?"

"How many times have I told you to call me Eriol?" he countered

"Clearly not enough," she said, hiding a smile. "Why don't we compromise? I'll call you Eriol-kun, if you call me Tomoyo." She stuck her hand out for him to shake.

"Deal," he grinned, taking her hand in his.

A shock ran through their connected hands and they found themselves staring at each other for a period of time before Eriol finally managed to tear his eyes away and let go of Tomoyo's hand.

"You didn't answer my question, Tomoyo-san," he said quietly, "Are you really okay?"

Tomoyo turned at the question and slowly began to walk along the beach and Eriol moved to follow her. "I've been having trouble sleeping recently. The sound of the waves is comforting and I like to come out here to think," she said quietly.

Eriol nodded silently in response.

"You know, it used to be that nothing in the world made me happier than seeing her happy. And I am happy for her. She's my best friend. Her happiness is very important to me," she paused to look at the sky and Eriol noticed that her eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"But now she has Li-kun and things have changed. She doesn't need me anymore, at least not on the same sort of level. I could disappear, and no one would know. I feel so alone," she laughed bitterly, "You probably think that I'm very selfish, don't you Eriol-kun?"

"No," he said shaking his head, "You just need to understand that there are other people who need you, Tomoyo-san, not just Sakura-san."

He reached out his hand gently interlacing her fingers with his, the warmth of his palm giving her comfort as they stood together on the edge of the ocean with the wind blowing heavily on their faces.

"I'd miss you if you disappeared," he smiled gently at her, "We're friends, aren't we, Tomoyo-san?" he asked as he used his free hand to gently tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.

She looked down at their intertwined hands then back at up at his face. His dark blue eyes were clear and honest behind his glasses. His dark hair was tousled from the wind.

An unfamiliar warmth passed throughout her body, spreading from her palm and fingertips down to her toes.

"Yes," she said giving him a water-y smile, "we're friends."

"There," Eriol said giving her hand a gentle squeeze, "You're not alone anymore. You have me."

"Now let's get you back home before you freeze to death."

She nodded in response and without letting go of her hand Eriol led her on the slow walk back to her house in a comfortable silence.

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><p>When they finally arrived at her home, she paused before opening the door, "Thank you for everything you did tonight, Eriol-kun," she said, turning to him, "When I'm with you, I don't feel so alone. I feel a lot better now."<p>

Eriol froze in shock as her flowery scent overcame his senses and she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"I'll see you at school," she said with a smile and was gone.

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><p>Eriol found himself walking home in a daze and when he finally returned that home, he found himself still unable to sleep.<p>

He lay in his bed staring at the ceiling in the few hours that he had remaining before it was time for him to prepare for school, the dark-haired girl ever present on his mind.

When Eriol arrived at school that morning, Tomoyo smiled at him but said nothing. He'd never noticed exactly how difficult it was to get Tomoyo on her own. The little time they had together was never enough for him to say what he wanted to say.

It was as if the previous night had never happened, as if it had been nothing but a dream. Throughout the day, he found his gaze constantly wandering to the raven-haired girl sitting two rows in front of him.

By the time the afternoon came around, he was beginning to doubt himself. He was waiting in front of her locker, nervously playing with the object that he had in his hands.

He was preparing to leave when a voice startled him, "Eriol-kun?"

He turned slowly. "Hello Tomoyo-san," he smiled nervously.

"Can I help you?"

"Here," he said handing her a small box.

"You didn't have to get me a gift, Eriol-kun. You helped me more than enough last night," she said smiling.

"No, open it, "he urged.

Shaking her head, she opened the box to reveal a small pink conch.

"You said that you found the ocean waves to be calming," he shrugged, "If you put your ear to it, you can hear the waves," he said voice getting quieter with each word when he noticed Tomoyo had tears in her eyes.

"You don't like it?" he asked nervously, "You don't have take-"

She cut him off by pressing her fingers to his lips.

"It's perfect," she said.

Eriol smiled brightly, "Thank goodness. Then there are no need for tears," he said, gently brushing away the few tears that had escaped her eyes.

"Tomoyo-chan!" a voice called out, startling the both of them.

"I should get going," she said, quietly.

He nodded. "Right. I'll talk to you later," he said moving towards the door.

"Oh and Eriol," she said, stopping him in his tracks.

"Yes?"

"I'll see you at the beach tonight." It wasn't a question, rather a statement. She waved, running towards whomever it was that was calling her.

He smiled.

"Of course."

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><p><em>Time together isn't ever quite enough<em>  
><em> When we're apart whatever are you thinking of?<em>  
><em> What will it take to make or break this hint of love?<em>  
><em> So tell me darling, do you wish we'd fall in love?<em>  
><em> All the time<em>  
><em> Oh all the time<em>

_- _"The Saltwater Room" by Owl City

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><p>Fin.<p>

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><p><strong>AN: **So I've had this idea for a while. The first 300 or so words of this fic has been sitting on my computer for the past year or so. Haha. And yes, it was inspired by Owl City's "The Saltwater Room". Please review! They make my day!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own CCS. All characters are property of Clamp.


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